Reviews

Wasted Opportunities

I dare anybody to make it through the first episode without shedding tears, as our house-guests take turns describing their long tortuous battles against disease in what feels more like a support group meeting then the beginning of a reality dating show.

They then do revert to a format generally similar to other dating shows and it quickly becomes apparent that most of these people aren’t really ready to begin relationships, at least not after only knowing someone for a week. The innovative, mechanism they came up with to determine dates doesn’t help as it becomes frustratingly apparent that many opportunities for a couple to get to know each other are being wasted.

The end result is that the show becomes overly focused on a few participants, with about half the cast simply disappearing by mid-season. Having said that, at least a couple of the participants they do focus on end up having inspiring incipient romances that help save the season.

I've never been a big fan of the celebrity panels they use on these shows and this one is particularly useless.

Read More

Maybe I'm tired of the 'popular guy with two or three friends, who always gets confessions from many girls, but ends up rejecting them because he has a secret crush on a shy, unaware, unpopular guy' trope. I feel like the plot is getting pretty repetitive, especially in Japanese high school BLs. It’s not that I dislike it, but it’s nice to see something new.

The series wasn't that interesting either; I only started to enjoy it after 3–4 episodes. I wouldn't say there is no chemistry between the main characters, but it still isn't exactly entertaining. I get that it tried to deliver a gentle, cute high school romance, but somehow it felt dull and boring.

However, some themes like 'being judged by others' and 'still choosing to be kind' really had my attention. Also, it was great to see Konishi Eito again after Takara's Treasure. So, it's just not 'the' series I would invest myself in after seeing so many familiar plotlines.

Read More

Pacing was off at some points

This was pretty enjoyable. I loved PondPhuwin so it was nice seeing them in another show together. I liked Palm and Nueng as characters too most of the time. Perth and Chimon were good in this too as Chopper and Ben. I liked their characters a lot. I think the acting in this from everyone was pretty decent as well.
I liked the story for the most part overall as well. I did find it a bit slow paced or boring at times though I will say. The uncle being the one behind everything wasn't shocking at all. I don't know if it was supposed to be a twist or not, but if it was, it wasn't a good one. I will say I was getting annoyed in the last few episodes with Palm and Nueng because there was a lot of one of them leaving and then the other one going to find them and it happened multiple times in a span of a few episodes. That felt repetitive to me. Other than that, I loved their relationship with each other. They've been through so much together and you can tell their love for each other is deep.

The music is in this was not great. A lot of it just felt like it didn't fit the scene. The color grading on this show was really nice though and it had some cool camerawork in moments.

Read More

Trope, But with All Elements Done Just Right. Beautiful. Wonderful!

Okay. Let me start by saying what many others seem to be saying about this quirkily titled series - it is a classic trope of a popular guy falling for an unpopular guy, yes, but only, and I need to repeat here, ONLY on the surface.

All elements of the trope are present in this series, but without the disturbing, frustrating elements that are there, unfortunately, in most other series.

For example, the unpopular guy suffers from self-doubt, yes, but he does not wallow in it endlessly, and repeatedly. In fact, he gradually steps out of it.

Next, the popular guy tends to be overbearing and controlling sometimes, but as soon as this tendency shows up, it is pointed out, the guy sees it, apologizes, and steps back. Not just that, he never repeats this behavior again.

And that, along with many other such "corrections", important ones mind, make this story totally and utterly heartwarming and endearing.

I felt really happy to see another Japanese BL that did not get trapped in the "Dominant" and "Submissive" personality types that have been portrayed too often in Japanese dramas, and for too long now, even though the relationships that result out of such personalities are mere shadows of Love - dark, toxic, manipulative, controlling and stifling.

My heartfelt thanks to everyone who made this series possible. And beautiful!

Read More

Excellent script and two wonderful lead actors.

I stumbled upon this drama almost by accident and I'm so glad I did. This drama is so under-the-radar but was a truly great show. It featured the two most important aspects of a great show: (1) Really solid, mature script that doesn't treat the viewers like idiots. And (2) two really truly amazing actors as leads. Peng Xiao Ran and Jin Han both absolutely nailed their respective roles and were absolutely compelling both as a couple and in their solo parts of the story. This story manages to avoid most of the major annoying drama plot tropes. No long contrived 'misunderstandings'. And no contrived love triangle. Yes, there are three other men interested in and professing to like the FL. But it's never in doubt for a second that Jiu Ling's only true love was Zhu Zan and you never have a doubt that he is the one she was going to be with eventually So not a lot of time is wasted on fluffing up any of the other relationships to try to fool the audience. Instead, while the story did use those other men as important plot elements, the story put its time and energy in simply telling a good story that had strong plot contributions from multiple characters but focused mainly on the two leads. And boy did the two leads deliver, as two characters who were so well matched and complementary.

If the show had a weakness, it was that it obviously could have used a bigger budget for production costs. A few parts of the story really cried out for bigger budget production. One scene was exemplary of this: In one episode there is a scene with some 10s of thousands of people and soldiers waiting outside the city walls when they all spontaneously kowtow in their appeal for the gates to be opened. This could have been a visually epic scene with a camera pull-back showing the wave of people dropping into kowtow. But unfortunately, the scene was implemented only in close shots with just a few dozen people. There were other scenes throughout that similarly could have been more visually impactful with a bigger budget for either more resources or more visual effects.

But that's nitpicking. The scenes still worked fine for story purposes. And the story overall was so strong that I almost feel guilty for quibbling. I'm really glad I stumbled into watching this show.

Read More

Easy watch. Cute romance!

A cute fluffy story about a romance unraveling between two classmates. Each of them have their own issues that they deal with, and together they learn from each other and help each other slowly get past their troubles.

There isn't much conflict, so the series itself is easy to watch. No risk to your sanity! Some aspects are very much cliche, but this series goes about it in a way that's not very frustrating or tiring. I found myself feeling some frustration during times of conflict, only for them to be solved almost immediately. What amazing communication these two have... If only we had more of that in the BL world.

Overall, this series is an easy watch. If you're ever watching a scary series, you can watch this series to calm your heart and mind. At times, it can be a bit cringey. But, overall it’s a good series.

Read More

being alive is already amazing

How can this drama be so beautiful ! it has everything from romance , friendship, psychology education and motivation . It also has suspense plot in it . This drama shows us the struggle of teenagers in their youth and the struggle of the adult that their life have been smoothed but suddenly face a set back . People have their own problems to deal with so we can’t judge them base on the outside . This drama allows me to see the perspective of the people who face set back in life and fighting to recover . They won the battle here but I can’t imagine how many women who lost the battle and blame themselves . I hope they could put the blame on the wrong doing and society should treat them better. They are the victim and they are not the one who should ashamed of the way she got abused. Also I will never be the one who blame the victim. I hope everyone could spread this .

Read More

sharp nosedive into the trash

when I heard there was going to be a bl adaption of love destiny i got SO excited. i adore love destiny and its so iconic, there was bound to be many eyes on this series simply because of it but i am sure that those viewers dropped 3 episodes in.

first initial episodes are okay (i hesitate to say good because i believe editing could've been better) but the production sets and all was nice. thats about it for me. the story of our main character and that of the brother felt so disjointed even when they gave our MC scenes with him trying to advice him as a way to connect it. sound quality was not good consistently throughout the series but more noticeable towards the second half. at times it felt like there was nothing going on in the series at all which felt like the result of bad writing and pacing. the main character's chemistry is simply nonexistent. a main pairing's chemistry can make up for the other faults but its simply not present that it doesn't even help. i didnt even believe they had feelings for each other.

long story short: skip this. you won't get much from it

Read More

A seat change and a great story takes off ...

This is an extremely "cute" series from start to finish. A lot of BL's give you that dramatic antagonist getting in the way with the relationship of the two protagonists, that does not happen here. This is a coming of age group of high school kids dealing with emotions that are forming and changing right before our eyes in each episode.
At times, it's a little bit bizarre with the actions of Asamiya toward Mayama, but once you begin to understand his feelings, everything really becomes so enjoyable, as we watch it play out.
Besides being good looking and charming, he's nice, too nice, which kind of made me a little suspicious in the early episodes, but as you get into the middle part of the series, the chemistry really does come out with this cast. Eito Konishi does a great job with a strong personality and appearance change for his character over the later part of the series. He eventually appears as an equal to Gennosuke's character, which really didn't seem possible when you look back at the first few episodes.
Even the supporting cast of friends play a major role in the foundation in making this an extremely light hearted, enjoyable series to relax in your chair and enjoy.
There's a line used at the very end that sum up just about everything ...."A relationship that began with a fateful seat change ... like people & seasons, things will change again, because everything changes over time"
Thumbs up!!!

Read More

An uninvolving courtroom drama

This is a weak series,. The entire series constantly wants to tell us we're watching something deep and profound and meaningful...but it isn't. It's a slog. It stops being interesting around the 9th episode and then just bores us to death for the remaining 6. It easily could have been 12 episodes, though since there's little action - just people talking and talking and talking - even at 12 episodes it would still be a slow watch!
At the center is a smug, self-righteous p.o.s Prosecutor who - spoiler - doesn't get what he deserves. Had he been convicted and made to serve 4 or more years in prison - like how he convicted the student 14 years earlier - I would have been delighted and happy. But he wasn't. F%&k that guy! So to have to sit through 15 episodes of this wanker spouting off about THE LAW and how it's the MOST IMPORTANT THING IN SOCIETY blah blah blah, and this and that, and uphold for the state, yadda yadda, yadda...I was just really sick of his hypocrisy and wanted him to go to jail. They got the entire story wrong!
Production values, acting, music, cinematography were all good...but the writing and directing were mediocre. Honestly, the entire story is kinda backwards for someone living in the USA. I don't know China and how "modern" they've become in their thinking...but the whole idea of Justifiable Defense was treated as something new and "golly gee whiz" we should examine this thing called "Justifiable defense and figure it out!". Seriously, I thought initially this series was maybe set in the 1970's...but it's not, it's a modern story and the writers and director treat the whole idea of "JD" as something profound and so they give too damn many monologues to the Procuratorate to discuss it. Enough repetition already. I mean heck, the idea of Justifiable defense/homicide is so blase to us in the states that we think nothing of when they release a woman killing a dude in a parking lot with her gun since he continually came at her in a threatening manner. She shot and killed the guy 'cause he was threatening her verbally and moving towards her to "possibly harm her"...but .he didn't even touch her, and had no weapon. But she shot and killed him and they called it "Justifiable.". She was in jail for all of 2 days. Crazy, yeah?
So you can see how watching 15 episodes of people debating the pros and cons of JD would bore me.

Anyways, it's UNSATISFYING because the Prosecutor should have gone to jail and he didn't. Unhappy ending.

Read More

Run Your Own Race, Live Your Own Life

Run On is a quiet, dialogue-driven slice-of-life romance about people figuring out their careers, relationships, family expectations, and what they actually want from life. At its heart, I think the drama is really about self-love, finding your own path, and having the courage to go after the things that matter to you instead of simply living the life others have already planned for you.

I really appreciated how the characters gradually learn to question the expectations placed on them and make choices for themselves. It isn't just about loving another person, but also about learning to understand yourself, set boundaries, respect your own needs, and choose a life that actually makes you happy. That message about not living an overly controlled or predetermined life was probably one of the things I connected with most.

The writing is thoughtful and dialogue-driven, with sharp, clever, and sometimes sarcastic conversations. There isn't much of a traditional plot or many dramatic twists, but the drama focuses more on people, their struggles, relationships, and personal growth. I especially liked how the characters communicate instead of relying on endless misunderstandings. The main couple talks through their problems, respects each other's boundaries, supports each other's goals, and genuinely becomes a safe place for one another.

However, the romance itself was a little too restrained for me. I liked the main couple together, but even after they became official, their relationship sometimes felt more like watching close friends who occasionally held hands. I wanted more romantic chemistry, intimacy, and those memorable moments that give you butterflies. Their relationship was healthy and mature, but it didn't always feel as emotionally or romantically satisfying as I hoped.

The second couple, Yeong-hwa and Dan-ah, was actually more interesting to me. Yeong-hwa was easily one of my favourite characters. I loved that despite being playful and devoted, he still had boundaries and knew when to walk away. Their relationship had more emotional tension and development, so I often found myself more invested in them than the main couple.

I also liked that the drama gave most of its characters some form of closure. Their stories weren't simply left hanging, and I appreciated seeing how each person moved forward, whether their ending was happy or bittersweet. The drama also made me appreciate professions like translating and athletics more because of how much effort and dedication they require.

My biggest issue was the pacing. It isn't exactly boring, but some parts felt repetitive and occasionally like the story was moving in circles. The main couple's story especially seemed to lose momentum once they got together.

Overall, I liked Run On, but I feel like I could have loved it more. It is a mature, thoughtful, and warm drama with meaningful ideas about self-love, independence, communication, and choosing your own life. The romance was too understated for my taste, but the message about stepping outside the life others have planned for you and pursuing what truly matters to you stayed with me.

Read More

The Quietest Scenes Left the Deepest Marks

I didn't expect Blossoms of Power to get under my skin the way it did.

I started watching for the palace intrigue, the costumes, the mystery, and—let's be honest—the handsome Crown Prince. I thought I'd simply enjoy the story, move on to the next drama, and forget about it.

Well… that didn't happen.

Some dramas entertain you. Some make you curious about what happens next.
And then there are dramas that quietly move into your head. This was one of those for me.

What I loved most was the relationship between Hua Yong and Xihe. It wasn't just about sweet moments or romantic chemistry. I loved how they respected each other's strength and how their relationship allowed both characters to grow.

They felt like the foundation and traveler, the wind and ship. Hua Yong gave Xihe support and a place to stand, but he never had to become the person who decided where she should go.

And Hua Yong?

His love language is basically EVERYTHING. lol
Acts of service? (check)
Gifts? (check)
Quality time? (check)
Words of affirmation? (check)
Physical affection? (check)

But what really got me was how thoughtful he could be. Some of his gestures seemed small at first, yet somehow became the moments I remembered most.
The lanterns.
The fireworks.
The little acts of care.
The quiet moments together.
Those were the things that made their relationship feel personal to me rather than simply romantic.

I also enjoyed that the drama didn't give me characters who were easy to put into neat little boxes. Changqing, in particular, made me think about the difference between loving someone and wanting to be chosen by them. His storyline was frustrating at times, but also genuinely interesting to watch.

And Junsho!
This little boy is ridiculously cute. He has that wonderful combination of being innocent enough to make you smile and unexpectedly clever enough to make you wonder if he will grow up as shameless as his father. hahaha

Of course, I had moments when I wanted to grab the screen and yell at the characters, especially Prince Lie. There was this scene where my reaction was basically:
WHY DID YOU DO THAT?! OMG! so stupid.

But that's also part of why I enjoyed watching. The characters actually made me feel something—whether I was smiling, getting annoyed, laughing, or staring at the screen in disbelief.

And somewhere along the way, I became emotionally invested enough that the drama actually managed to make me cry.

A LOT!

What stayed with me most wasn't a particular plot twist. It was the little moments—the kind you don't realize are important until you've finished watching and suddenly find yourself thinking about them again.

That's when I knew this drama had gotten me.
I came for the palace drama.
I stayed for Hua Yong and Xihe.
I was hit with emotional damage.

If you like palace intrigue, romance with substance, complicated characters, humor, beautiful symbolism, and dramas that can make you laugh one minute and hurt your feelings the next, Dong Feng Xin is worth giving a try.

Just come prepared.

-----
"People always measure marriage by its length. A resentful couple can spend decades together. If a union is true, then even if it’s as brief as the morning dew, a single night of true love is worth more than an eternity.” — Shen Xihe

Read More